Seeds can speak to gardeners> Germination time varies among plants

No matter how long you’ve been starting your own plants from seed, each spring you probably find yourself marveling at the diverse beginnings of immature plants. It is truly a wonder that the smallest seed can yield the mightiest of garden plants. Sweet Annie, for instance, begins in March as a minute pinkish seed and, by September, may tower above most of our heads.

It is now that gardeners begin to spur to life the plants that will bring such great pleasure and a bountiful harvest.

Many herbaceous garden plants will bloom and bear fruits if sown directly into the soil. Other plants need help by being sown indoors before the ground has thawed. If you haven’t started your favorite flowers or vegetables, don’t worry. While a handful of plants may be started as early as late February, many plants — especially those with an annual life cycle — will bloom midsummer if started now.

Although seeds range in form, color and biology, they all operate basically the same. Germination is a complex chemical and physiological process that may be simplified by saying a seed absorbs water, puts down a root and sends up a shoot.

Seeds speak to us through the mystery and science of germination. Some burst through the soil in just a few days as if to say, “I’m here, what’s next?” Others arrive slowly, curling upward with a barely visible set of seed leaves, making a relatively silent passage into life.

When we see plants emerge from the soil, they’ve actually been alive for some time. Remember: Seeds send down their roots before they send up their shoots. If you germinate a large-seeded plant such as nasturtium, you’ll find a thick root up to several inches long before you ever spy signs of life above the soil.

It is essential that soil not be allowed to dry out during germination. If water isn’t available for the new root, it won’t be able to acquire the resources needed to send up the shoot and to grow. Most emerging plants have no mechanism to repair the damage of desiccation if the soil around their root dries out to the point that tender plant tissue is damaged.

Start your plants out right: Once the soil and seed have been wetted after sowing, keep the soil moist for germination. Moisture affects the percentage rate of germination and seedling emergence. Insufficient moisture at any point during germination can adversely affect seedling success.

Keep in mind, too, that too much moisture can help create a perfect environment for a seedling’s worst enemy: damping off. Damping off is a fungal disease that attacks vulnerable seedlings, and makes a seed bed look as though a tiny person with an ax has come through, chopping down all the seedlings, like miniature trees. Damping off creates irreversible damage and can quickly wipe out a stand of seedlings.

In many cases, damping off can be controlled by using a sterilized medium. This type reduces the microbial population from the onset of germination and creates an environment most favorable for seedling growth.

Moisture isn’t the only environmental factor important in ensuring sound germination. Temperature and light are equally as important. Strong seedlings grow when these three factors are kept in balance, and are considered for each species you grow.

Be sure to get good information on seedlings’ requirements for moisture, temperature and light. Place them in an environment that meets those needs, rather then hope that they adapt to the situation that is the easiest to provide.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, c/o MaineWeekend, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.